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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24449635">A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbid_Hatter/pseuds/Morbid_Hatter'>Morbid_Hatter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fae Jaskier | Dandelion, Gen, One Shot, no beta we die like witchers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:34:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24449635</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbid_Hatter/pseuds/Morbid_Hatter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One night Geralt wakes to something in his camp. It's a Fae, a Fae who introduces himself as Jaskier and begs to follow him - promising to change the Continent's opinion of Geralt, promising to make them forget about the terrible moniker 'the Butcher of Blaviken'. </p>
<p>What's a poor, tired Witcher to do?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia &amp; Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>173</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Best Geralt</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Being a Witcher had never been easy, but now it was so much worse. News had spread throughout the Continent of the Butcher of Blaviken - and he couldn’t escape it. No matter how much good he did, no matter how many people he helped - no matter how much abuse he put up with while not saying a word - people held onto their hate and prejudices with an iron grip. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt camped outside most of the time. It was safer for him. It was safer for Roach. (And that matters more, honestly). It saved what little coin he managed to earn, and he could breathe without choking on the rancid stench of hate and fear. Geralt figured it was an easy trade - a little bit of danger from the wild in exchange for only having to be around people when absolutely necessary. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t help his rest, but it was something he could deal with. He meditated, but he never got rid of that exhaustion that would settle deep in his bones until he made his way home to Kaer Morhen for winter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was because of his exhaustion that the </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span> got the jump on him. Or, that wasn’t totally accurate. The intruder wasn’t doing anything except digging around the firepit like he had smelled the remains of his supper and was checking for leftovers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Whatever it was, his medallion began humming against his chest in warning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t smell dangerous. In fact, he smelled like nothing under the overwhelming smell of magic. He wasn’t like any mage or sorceress, in fact it reminded him a bit of Eskel - like the magic was weaved into every fiber of his being. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, so slowly, Geralt reached for his silver sword. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the hilt, he was out of his meditative position and across his campsite with the sword against the vulnerable throat of whatever had snuck into his camp.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He squeaked, that was the only word for the noise. But the intruder didn’t seem scared or in any kind of pain from the slight pressure of silver. If anything, the noise was that of someone who had been startled. “I’m sorry!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt dropped his sword and fell back on his haunches, still on guard, but not about to kill a sentient creature without provocation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to intrude on your camp. I wasn’t going to hurt you. I just - I was hungry, and I could smell the rabbit you cooked and I was just so hungry -” the creature was still speaking, the words lisped around wicked-looking teeth, forced through vocal cords that weren’t meant to make such guttural sounds as Common. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a Fae?” he asked stupidly, finally tearing his gaze away from the mouthful of sharp teeth to look into fathomless eyes - an endless blue with no visible sclera or pupil, just the blue of </span>
  <em>
    <span>magic</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! What else could I be? Oh, I see, this is a little much, isn’t it?” Between one blink and the next, the visage of tapered ears, strange eyes, sharp teeth, and pale white skin melted away only to be replaced by something more human. “Better?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt found himself nodding dumbly. “What do I call you?” he asked, knowing he would never get a Fae’s real name. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You may call me -” the Fae paused, tapping a long finger against his chin. “Call me Jaskier. I’ll not give you my real name, I fear.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Geralt,” he answered the inquiring eyebrow. He wasn’t worried about giving that name to a Fae - it wasn’t his given name at birth, and he could never let slip that name as he had forgotten it ages ago. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jaskier nodded and leaned a little closer to Geralt, looking into his eyes with genuine curiosity. “You’re not a regular human.” A sniff, like he was tasting the air. “White hair, yellow eyes, big ol’ loner, two very scary looking swords - you’re a witcher!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of being afraid as he should be, the Fae sounded excited, bouncing minutely on the balls of his feet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt stood up, keeping an eye on the Fae who was watching him in turn. Geralt began packing up his camp and patting Roach on the neck to get her to wake up. He needed to find a new place to camp - </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There was no way he was going to stay in a Fae’s forest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait! Where are you going? I - Please don’t go!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt saddled up Roach, ignoring the flailing as the Fae continued to speak so quickly his words seemed to blur together. “I won’t kill you, but if you follow me, I’ll change my mind and I’ll find something to run you through with,” he growled, uncaring that he was threatening one of the most powerful creatures in existence - </span>
  <em>
    <span>besides</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he reasoned, </span>
  <em>
    <span>this one looks defective. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can make it stop!” Jaskier called, frozen in place where he stood before Geralt threatened him. “I can change what they think. You don’t have to be the Butcher of Blaviken anymore!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t the desperation in his voice, </span>
  <em>
    <span>it wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it was a little intrigue. If he could admit it, he wanted to know why a Fae would concern himself with the mortal world enough to hear about Blaviken. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He and Roach hadn’t made it more than a few steps before his shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes to will away his own stupidity. “Why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Because you smell of death, and destiny; heroics and heartbreak. I have a proposition for you. We team up and travel together - I’ll cause some trouble, you come sweeping into town and rid them of the monster, we split the profits and then I’ll sing of your deeds! It’s a win for both of us.” Jaskier’s eyes, still the same shade of blue but more human now, were wide and pleading.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was considering it. Why was he considering it? He couldn’t answer his own question, so he asked another. “What’s really in it for you?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m like you -”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re nothing alike.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m like you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We don’t fit in, we’re outsiders and outcasts. But I can hide my real face and change how the humans see us. I’ll be your barker - spreading the tales of Geralt of Rivia, the - the - well, I’ll come up with a good moniker for you.” As if to emphasize his point, a lute appeared in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt scowled, this Fae, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jaskier</span>
  </em>
  <span>, knew too much with no explanation as to </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He assumed it was the magic of the Fae, but he didn’t like it - it was unsettling. And yet…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And yet, he was intrigued. Lonely and intrigued. “So what? You go ahead of me, fuck shit up, we ‘fight’ and I defeat you?” Jaskier nodded eagerly, his hair flopping around his face in his excitement. “This is a fucking stupid idea. The first time we get caught we’re going to get killed.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jaskier smiled. It was like watching something dangerous wake up. “Excellent! You’ll see, we’ll change their minds and you’ll never sit around hungry and exhausted, and I’ll get to see the Continent.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt only hesitated for a breath before he sighed heavily and dismounted from the saddle again to lead Roach back to his quickly abandoned camp with his campfire still lit to keep the monsters away. (Fat lot of good it had done).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span>As he laid his bedroll down, somehow calm with the knowledge that the most dangerous creature in the forest was already at his camp, he laid down while watching Jaskier do the same from the other side of the fire. His final thought before a deep sleep settled on him as if by magic was, </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is going to blow up in my face. </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a silly thing that popped into my head when I thought 'hey, wouldn't it be funny if Jaskier and Geralt bamboozled these morons out of all their coin by setting up shenanigans for Geralt to "fight"?' </p>
<p>And then this....just happened??</p>
<p>It's a one-shot for now but if ya'll like it, I have other plot bunnies cooking up even more plot bunnies with this plot.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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